Democracy

In the novel Democracy, scenes from New York and Hawaii, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, military bases and luxury hotels alternate in rapid cuts. The United States is experiencing the definitive debacle of the Vietnam War, and the book' s protagonist, Inez Victor, is torn between two powerful men, Senator Harry Victor and Agent Jack Lovett. An important character in her story is also its narrator – Joan Didion. She appears in the novel under her own name and presents herself as an implacable observer of the lives of privileged Americans. The fourth novel by the famous American writer and reporter is considered one of her creative peaks. Her inimitable prose sharpness and reporter' s insight are combined in a particularly impressive way here.